Not Anytime Soon
by pinkperson
Summary: A young Laguna and Ellone discuss love and the duration of Laguna's stay in Winhill.


"Uncle Laguna, do yoo love Raine?"

Laguna looked at Ellone who sat near him on Raine's bed. He arched an eyebrow at this, then shook his head and laughed nervously. "What kind of question is that Elle?"

The two of them had been sitting like this in Raine's bedroom for the past couple of hours just relaxing on a rainy day. Laguna had done his patrolling just a few hours ago and he had been more than ecstatic to spend the remainder of the day relaxing upstairs with Elle while Raine cleaned up downstairs. They had been sitting quietly for a while before Ellone had asked the question that had caught Laguna off guard.

Ellone crawled up to Laguna and looked up at him with her big doe-like eyes. Laguna couldn't help but be mesmerized by them, unable to look away. "I asked Aunt Raine and she said she loves yoo. But yoo never kiss or hug her. So how can yoo be in love?"

Laguna scratched the back of his head as he found he was faced with a conundrum. Was he really gonna have to talk about love with Ellone? He wasn't exactly a master when it came to that topic. He certainly wasn't experienced with women. Most of his crushes had turned out like Julia. They never really amounted to anything due to his awkwardness in so much as trying to approach them.

Laguna leaned forward to ruffle Ellone's hair. "Elle, you don't have to hug or kiss someone to show that you love them. I mean, I love you, you know?"

"But we _do_ hug, Uncle Laguna. You hugged me a few days ago. I remember!"

"Gosh, how could I have forgotten..." Laguna said, chuckling. "And miss smarty pants always remembers everything."

Ellone giggled as she moved closer to sit next to Laguna and then rested her head against his chest. Laguna couldn't help but feel a heartwarming sensation just sitting with her like this. He knew his niece adored him. She was rarely ever apart from him. Even Raine would smile knowingly at him whenever Elle would run up to him after his patrolling. The child seemed attached to him by the hip and he honestly had no idea why. Maybe she just longed for a father figure and he was the closest thing to that which was available.

"Anyway, Elle, you know I care about you and Raine. I really do. And I _do_ love you," Laguna said leaning down to kiss the top of Ellone's head. "But, I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship right now. As much as I love her, I don't think it would be a good idea for Raine and I to get together."

Truthfully, Laguna did love Raine deeply. The reason Elle didn't see them kiss or hug was because they were afraid of giving the girl false hope. Laguna was afraid of hurting Ellone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay in Winhill despite his feelings and attachments. Winhill just didn't feel like home to him. One of the reasons he hated patrolling was because he often felt unwelcome when he walked about the town. People would look at him as though he didn't belong there. Plus, he wanted to pursue a career in writing as it was a passion of his. He had never really wanted to be a soldier. And he couldn't exactly see himself working as a cashier or a clerk in Winhill.

Ellone shifted away from Laguna and looked up at him. Her lower lip wobbled as she rubbed at her eyes. "Yoo're going to leave us, aren't you Uncle Laguna? If yoo love me, then why are yoo leaving?"

Laguna felt his heart crack at this. It was as though she'd read his thoughts and it made him feel all the more guilty. There were few things he hated more than hurting people off of the battlefield, especially his precious Elle. Laguna quickly sat up and placed his hands on Ellone's cheeks. Forcing a smile, he attempted to comfort her. "Elle, don't cry...don't cry. Please. Uncle Laguna isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I'm right here, see? Not leaving you and Raine."

Ellone just stared at him as hot tears continued to slide down her face. Laguna averted his eyes as he knew in his heart that he was lying. The smile on his face faltered as he pictured himself packing up and walking out the door, saying goodbye to Raine and Ellone forever. It was far from the first time that he'd imagined this. Because he had a tendency to say goodbye to people he had grown close to. Somehow, he knew deep down that there was nothing that could prevent him from leaving. No matter how much he cared for Raine and Elle.

And that disturbed him.


End file.
